By Mike Blackerby
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Those Northwest Knox County fundraisers may be a thing of the past for the Karns Volunteer Fire Department.
Since enacting a subscription- based firefighting service on Jan. 1, the department has seen its coffers swell.
“In June, just six months into it, we’ve already received $1.3 million through subscriptions,” said department Chief Ken Marston.
“In January alone, we brought in three times more money than we did the year before.”
Translated, probably no more bake sales or solicitation of donations at traffic lights to raise money for the once-financially strapped department.
The nonprofit fire department, which previously relied on small donations and grants, includes four stations and serves about 45,000 people in Karns, Solway, Hardin Valley and Ball Camp.
Marston said that about 50 percent of the households and businesses in those four communities have signed up for the subscription service.
Previously, Marston said, only 21 percent of the households in the communities volunteered to donate funds to the department.
He said the average donation per household was $97 a year under the old volunteer system.
Under the new subscription service, households now pay a minimum of $100 a year for the service, with the price escalating for larger homes.
Marston said some larger businesses pay “several thousand dollars a year” for the service.
Big changes are in the works, he said, thanks to the added revenue from the subscription service.
“In just six months, we’ve raised enough money to break ground on an anchor station in Hardin Valley,” he said.
Marston said the groundbreaking on the 2.2-acre tract of land — which was donated by Dr. George Brown — will be at 10 a.m. Saturday. The 8,000-square-foot station at the corner of Campbell Station and Hardin Valley roads is slated to open in April.
Marston also said a new, $489,000 fire engine, outfitted with $100,000 to $150,000 of equipment, has been ordered. He said it’s the first step in the department replacing its antiquated fleet of engines.
“Engines are supposed to be replaced every 10 years — we’ve got engines much older (than that),” he said.
Karns businessman Mike Gordon, who has owned Gordon’s Drugstore for 35 years, signed up for the new subscription service after donating money to the department for years.
Gordon said it was unrealistic to assume that the fire department could continue to exist on donations. “Everybody took it (the fire department) for granted and always thought it would be that way,” said Gordon. “I can see that they have to have more money to provide everything and pay their people.” Marston said his department will continue to answer all fire calls, even if a household in need isn’t a subscriber.
“Our guys will go to a fire and fight it regardless,” he said. “We do not refuse to go to a fire call because you’re not a subscriber. We always give our best effort.” However, Marston said nonsubscribers will be billed at a rate of $950 an hour, per engine, for fire calls.
Mike Blackerby is a freelance contributor to the News Sentinel.
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